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Circular Knitting Needles

Submitted by chadleyb on Sun, 2012-02-19 10:09

I am interested in buying circular knitting needles, but I've always found they are too short and cut into my palms when I knit. Does anybody have any advice about the best brand to purchase for larger hands? Any help is appreciated.

Comments

Hi Chad,
I suggest you find a local yarn store who has a good variety of different type of needles. Take some waste yarn with you and ask them if you could try out their needles there. Explain your situation, and I'm sure they'd be more than willing to help. Most needle packaging I've come across, are easily resealable so it shouldn't be a problem of reselling them after you've tried them out.

Thanks for the suggestions. Since I live in the middle of nowhere, I have to shop online, so it is hard for me to get to a yarn shop. It's a 90 minute drive to a place that has limited supplies. For my next project, I just need to do a collar, so I'll get a cheap set and see how it goes.

If you want something inexpensive I say go with Knit Picks, if you want Something good quality go with Addi Turbos or Lace, If you want something very Expensive with good quality Signature Circulars are nice. I personally do not like Signature circulars, but love Addis and if I did not have Addis , I get Knit Picks.

As Bill suggested getting something from China may be a good choice, also look on Etsy, EBay, but bargain hunting usually ends at Knit Picks for me.

Chad,
I have the same problem too. I actually contacted a few of the circular knitting needle manufacturers to add the request to create longer needles. Most responded saying that they get this request from men on a regular basis and will continue to consider making longer needles. I've purchased the addi clicks and found that I had to adjust the way I hold the needles so that I don't cut into the palm of my hand as you've described. I've adjusted pretty quickly to the new technique and no longer have that issue. Good luck with your search.

On some brands there is a curve before the cable; that would help make the contact point more comfortable. Here we have Pony brand, they're mostly just fine and not expensive. Occasionally you get a dud though (where the join isn't quite as smooth as it should be). The cable isn't as flexible as it is in say, Addis, but you can dip it into boiling water and then pull it straight.

If it's really hurting your hands, I have to wonder if you're gripping the needles too tightly? Often people do that when they're learning something new; I see it on people when I teach them music all the time. If that's the case, you might try knitting while taking care specifically to relax.

Hi chadley,
I have very large hands and that's a problem for me too. What I do is buy needles witha longer cable which allows me to adjust the work on the cable and still have room to work.
I looked on amazon.com last week and found a set of bamboo needles (sizes 2 - 15) that all measured 40" and they also had them in shorter lengths available too.
Hope this helps.
NativeDavid

I would always caution against buying "cheap" tools of any sort. You're never going to get the best results with "cheap" tools. Cheap normally means inferior and that means you'll be fighting them the whole time.

Personally, I usually use Addi Turbos when I do circular knitting. The needle part is fairly short, but I've never had it dig into my hand. I think good design may be more important than length.

Length of cable should not really make any difference in how the needles fit into your hand. You need a cable long enough to hold what you're knitting without too much crowding, but not so long that you're stretching the work, unless you want to magic loop or something.

The important part is where the cable joins the needles, and that's better on better quality needles. Hard to gauge that online.

I do have some aluminum circs (Boye, I think) that have a bend where the cable joins in, and that's nice, but I still like my Addi Turbos better.

Hi Chad,
I bought my Knit Picks nickle-plated circular needles and just love them. The interchangeable are about 4" or so, while their 16" circular needles that aren't interchangeable are only about 3" and hard to handle. I also got some Susan Bates Velocity that are only 7US - 16.1 in. I also have the Susan Bates Circular Knitting Needles Silverado. They are about 5" long. I prefer the nickle-plated ones. Here is a page where you can buy them: http://www.knitpicks.com/needles/Interchangeable_Circular_Knitting_Needle_Tips_Cables__L300312.html
They also sell the nice wooden needles as well as plexiglass needles.

I have been knitting with Addi's for a long time, but recently invested in some Signature Knitting Needles. As mentioned in another post they come is lengths up to six inches. Not only are they longer but they are about the best needle you can buy. Costly compared to others but well worth it.